Bethyl One Shots
by orayofsunshine
Summary: A place for me to shove all my Bethyl one shots. (I know isn't it such a creative title)
1. Friends

**A/N: Hi, so this idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, so today I decided to neglect all of my school work and write this. Inspired by "Friends" by Ed Sheeran. (Seriously Ive listened to it a billion times today while writing this) Anyways, I hope yall like this, drop me a review if you do! **

_We're not, no we're not friends, nor have we ever been._

It had been a few days since they had found Beth in the hospital, fighting walkers like it was her job. The sight alone of little Beth Greene, covered in blood and brains, slashing and stabbing the undead was enough to shock Rick, Maggie and Glenn. For a half second, they just stood in the hallway, watching her fight alongside others in dingy blue scrubs until Daryl bolted past them, hunting knife up and ready. Everyone else broke out of their shock induced trance, leaping into action. Sometime after they started fighting the seemingly endless stream of walkers, Rick glanced around to see if anyone had gotten bitten or hurt. To his surprise, his eyes landed on Beth and Daryl, pressed back to back, picking off every zombie that came near them. The former police officer didn't have time to watch the two fight together like clockwork, because just as soon as he had glanced at them, another walker shambling towards him. After what felt like hours all that was left was twice dead bodies littering the floor and the only sounds were the heavy, labored breaths of the living echoing against the bloodied walls.

"Oh my God, Beth!" Maggie's hoarse voice cried as her knife fell to the ground as she stumbled across the bodies, flinging herself into the arms of her younger sister. The two women fell to the ground, hugging and sobbing into each other. The reunion only lasted a second before three walkers turned the corner, groaning at the sight of fresh food. Rick tugged on Maggie's shirt, nodding towards the door.

"We gotta go now, come on." He said, helping them up and leading his family down the hallway towards the exit. Once outside and a safe distance away from the hospital, they slowed to a walk and Glenn and Maggie took turns hugging the small blonde, badgering her with questions. Rick pretended not to notice when he saw Daryl's hand move up to rest on the small of her back, his thumb rubbing the sliver of skin that was exposed when her shirt had ridden up.

"Where's everyone else? Is it only you four now?" Beth asked, her voice rising an octave in panic at the thought of her family being dead. Rick chuckled, shaking his head a few times.

"They're all safe, we have camp about five miles out." He told her, watching as she exhaled loudly and her shoulders fell in relief.

"What happened that night Bethy? How'd you get to the hospital?" Maggie asked cautiously after a few more minutes of walking. Beth tensed up visibly, shaking her head quickly.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She mumbled and Rick could have sworn that when she said that she took a step closer to Daryl, whose hand slid from her back to her waist and squeezed gently. As soon as he had done it has hand was gone, back to hand by his side.

They remained silent the rest of the walk back to camp, which was an old abandoned house they had been staying in for a few weeks. The sun was setting over the horizon, covering everything in a warm glow that didn't match the cold, awkward silence of the trip back. Rick knocked three times on the door, one slow then two fast, signaling to everyone inside that it was them. Like every other time they returned home from a run, everyone inside looked relieved to see them back and safe. Carl ran to hug his father, Judith toddling slowly behind him.

"Got a surprise for y'all." Rick said cryptically with a big grin, opening the door wider to reveal Beth. Everyone stopped what they were doing, shocked to see her there, since they had long since accepted the fact that she was probably dead. A split second later the room went to chaos, running to Beth and showering her with hugs and "I'm glad you're safe". Beth had hardly been able to contain her tears that rolled down her cheeks as she hugged everyone, kissing their cheeks gently. When her eyes landed on Judith, the flood gates broke as she scooped the baby up and cradled her to her chest, sobbing and kissing the soft, downy hairs on her head.

Once everything had settled down they corralled in the living room, passing cans of food around for dinner and catching up. They told her of Terminus and introduced her to Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene, briefing her on their mission of going to DC. She nodded and listened intently, pressed hip to hip with Daryl, sharing a can of spaghetti o's. From where he was sitting, Rick could see the hunter's hand on top of hers, hidden behind them so no one else could see, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb much like he had done on her back earlier. Rick couldn't help but wonder what had happened while they were on their own, what had Beth done to make a man who usually flinched at any form of physical contact be the first to reach out.

After everyone was asleep Rick joined Daryl on the porch, throwing an extra blanket in his lap to combat the cool night air. They sat in comfortable silence on the plush chairs they had dragged outside for watch, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of danger. After a while Rick cleared his throat, gaining Daryl's attention.

"You glad Beth's back?" He asked casually. Daryl shifted in his seat, his eyes dropping down to his crossbow and giving him a grunt in response.

"Just as much as everyone else, glad everyone's together again." He answered with a shrug. Rick snorted, seeing straight through his lie.

"You seemed to be awfully touchy feely with her tonight, holdin' hands and all." Despite it being dark, Rick could make out the blush that covered Daryl's face and neck from his statement.

"Shuddup." He muttered, shoving his arm. "We're just friends."

Rick chuckled, rolling his eyes at his friend. "Sure brother, and the walkers are vegetarians."

That comment earned him the middle finger from Daryl, and deciding he had messed with him enough, he dropped the subject, settling back into silence.

_Friends just sleep in another bed,_

_And friends don't treat me like you do._

Since getting her sister back, Maggie liked to always know where Beth was. Sure, Beth had complained about it, saying she was an adult and didn't need to be watched like a hawk, but Maggie just kissed her head and told her to get over it. It was her job as her last living blood family and older sister to watch over and protect her, even if it meant annoying the ever-loving shit out of her. Also, being the observant sibling that she was, Maggie had noticed how Beth had taken to Daryl Dixon like a fish to water. They were always joined at the hip, eating together, fighting back-to-back against the undead, and talking in hushed tones away from the group. Maggie thought she was the only one who had noticed the duos strange interactions, but she was proven wrong one afternoon when they walked out of the woods together, coming in from a hunt. That in itself wasn't weird, Beth had told her that when they were on their own she would tag along behind him when he was tracking, collecting his kills for him and carrying them on her belt before watching him skin the prey. What was surprising was what Beth was holding in her hands as her and Daryl crossed the yard to the house they were shacked up in for the night.

"Is that his crossbow?" Sasha asked as they crouched in the window, hidden from everyone else by the heavy curtains, her voice barely a whisper. "He doesn't even like people _looking_ at his bow, I've never even seen anyone but him touch it."

Maggie nodded slowly, watching as Daryl nudged Beth with his elbow before pointing up to a tree. Beth grinned, nodding slightly before holding the bow upwards. Maggie and Sasha's jaw dropped when the bolt flew through the air before falling back down speared through a squirrel.

"Did she just-" Sasha asked, completely shocked that Beth wasn't just holding his bow, but that she had actually just used it.

"Yeah, she did." Maggie confirmed, keeping her eyes glued to Beth and Daryl. She shot him a beaming smile as she held up her catch, earning a grin and nod of approval from him. They started back towards the house, and when Daryl made eye contact with Maggie from where she was crouching in the window she squeaked and dove out of the way, pulling Sasha away from where they were spying and scrambled to the couch.

"I miss fresh fruit." Maggie said, starting an inconspicuous conversation as the door opened and Beth entered, her hands full of small game. "Hey Bethy, you're back early." She greeted, giving her a small wave. She only rolled her eyes and stomped into the kitchen, Daryl sending her a glare as he followed her out. When they were gone, Maggie threw her head in her hands in embarrassment, snickering with Sasha over the fact that they had been caught. Later that night, Beth had ripped her a new one when everyone else was asleep, telling her to leave her alone and stopped watching her every move, that she didn't need her protection.

"Why because Daryl's got you now?" Maggie snapped. Beth went from pale as a ghost to red as a firetruck so fast she looked like a chameleon.

"No, Daryl has nothing to do with this Maggie, he's just a friend. I can take care of myself, I'm not a kid anymore. I know it's because you love me, but you don't have to watch me like I'm going to be snatched up anytime you can't see me." With those words, Beth turned over onto her side, and didn't say anything else. A while later her breathing evened out and Maggie heard her soft snores. She didn't sleep herself until Glenn came in after his watch, and only then she allowed herself to relax and succumb to sleep.

The next morning Maggie woke up at dawn, snuggling into Glenn's side in an attempt to go back to sleep. After a few minutes she knew it wasn't going to happen, so she turned over with every intention of apologizing to Beth. When she turned over though, her sister was gone, her pillow and blanket on the floor being the only evidence she had been there. Maggie's heart raced as she jumped out of bed and darted out of the living room. She peered into every room of the house, but didn't find her sister until she checked the last room. Relief washed over her as her eyes landed on her little sister on the tiny twin mattress, wrapped up in the arms of Daryl Dixon. Her head was resting on his chest, making it rise and fall gently with every breath he took. His arms were around her, one hand over his eyes and one resting on Beth's hip, holding her against him. From what she could see, their legs were tangled together underneath the sheets, their shoes and socks discarded at the foot of the bed. Maggie eased the door shut, making sure to not make any noise and wake them up, before turning on her heel and making her way back towards the pullout couch she was sharing with Glenn.

"Friend my ass." She chuckled to herself as she curled back up next to her husband, eager to gossip about her findings with Sasha.

_No one will find out if it all went wrong._

_They'll never know what we've been through._

"Did you tell them, like, about what happened when we were alone?" She asked one afternoon when they were walking down the interstate towards Washington. They were walking behind everyone else like usual, far enough away so that no one could hear them but close enough to catch up if need be. Daryl glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened when we were alone?" He asked, hints of humor and teasing in his voice. She chuckled and elbowed him in the side gently.

"You know, the moonshine shack and the cemetery and stuff."

"Oh yeah and how you're a little arsonist? How I got you drunk? They would have eaten that up, Greene." He quipped, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a small grin. Beth rolled her eyes and bumped her hip against his, throwing him off balance a little. He bumped her back before speaking up again. "Nah, I didn't tell 'em. None of their business, just told 'em you were kidnapped when I was fightin' walkers."

Beth nodded slowly, her eyes going down to her shoes. "What'd you do when you saw I'd been taken?" They hadn't talked about it, what had happened between the night she was taken and when they found her, she obviously didn't want to. Whenever someone brought it up, trying to be gentle about the topic, Beth would tense up and move to another subject. Daryl never brought it up to her, not wanting to ruin whatever good moment they were having with the dark subject of her abduction.

"I ran all night until I got to a crossroads and couldn't figure out which way the car had gone. Collapsed from exhaustion and a while later some guys found me. I was with them for a few days, they were mean sumbitches, killed a guy for lyin', tried to kill Rick and hurt Carl. After we got rid of them we went to Terminus, didn't turn out to be as good as we thought. That's when we got back together with your sister, Glenn, Bob, Sasha, and the others."

"What was so bad about them?" Beth interrupted, looking up at him. He shrugged, making his hand brush against hers, and not for the first time Beth wished he would hold her hand. Much to her dismay, he moved his hand away and shoved it in his pocket.

"They were cannibals, lured people in with a promise of sanctuary then cooked 'em up. They were sick people, just like everyone else now." He said simply. Beth rolled her eyes and clutched onto the straps of her backpack.

"There are still good people out there Daryl." She reminded him for what seemed like the millionth time. He looked down at her and nodded slowly, nudging her arm gently.

"Yeah, there is." He gave her a small smile, something she rarely saw, before looking back at the road. Beth's heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed, something she wished she could control more. They walked in silence for a little bit longer before she spoke up.

"They hit me with their car. I passed out on impact, I didn't even see it coming. It broke my wrist and a couple ribs, the guy driving panicked and pulled me into the car. I woke up in the hospital, begged them to let me out, that I had a family I needed to find. The leader, Natasha, refused and said I was going to stay. That they needed more people to strengthen themselves and rebuild society. They caught me trying to escape down the elevator shaft and Natasha beat the shit outta me." Beth confessed for the first time. Daryl's eyes went wide, his blood boiling at the thought of someone hurting her. "It was awful, I hated every second of it. I'm glad y'all found me."

"Glad I found you too." He said, biting his tongue when he realized what he said. "I-I mean I'm glad we found you and got our family back together. I'm glad we're friends" He brushed it off, mentally kicking himself. Beth couldn't help but hide her disappointment at him taking it back, but she gave him a big, bright, fake smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm happy that we're friends too." She lied, pushing the thought of ever being more to the back of her mind as they continued down the road.

_And friends shouldn't kiss me like you do._

Carl didn't mean to see it, he really didn't. All he needed to do was go take a leak in the woods and go back inside to finish playing Life with Michonne and Carol, but he stumbled upon more than he'd thought he would. He was surprised, to say the least, to see Beth and Daryl sitting against a big tree chatting casually like they weren't in the middle of the apocalypse. Carl watched from a distance, not hearing their talking but occasionally hearing Beth's laughter. After a few minutes, right as he was about to leave to find a spot to pee, Carl watched in shock as Daryl tilted Beth's head up and kissed her. They had sworn up and down that they were "just friends" but he knew for a fact that friends don't go around kissing other friends. It wasn't a long kiss, not extremely passionate like the ones he'd seen Maggie and Glenn share, but it was more than just a little peck. They continued talking like the kiss hadn't happened, their cheeks stained pink. Carl smirked and turned away, walking away quietly to use the bathroom. They so weren't just friends.

_But then again, if we're not friends,_

_Someone else might love you too._

_And then again, if we're not friends,_

_There'd be nothing I could do_

Never in a million years did Daryl think he'd be jealous of a kid fifteen years younger than him, but he also didn't think the dead would come back to life with an appetite for human flesh. He was sitting on his porch in Alexandria, sharpening his knife and glaring at the idiot guy Beth was wrapped around. His name was Trevor and he was just about everything Daryl wasn't. He had a happy, care-free attitude, was lean and blond, everyone in town adored him. Beth Greene was one of those girls, and when they had arrived in town a month prior, the twenty year old had swept her up and showered her with all the affection Daryl never could. He watched as Beth laughed at something he had said, and Daryl wished he was in the kid's place.

Daryl would never admit to anyone that he could feel his heart crack when he saw him kiss her on her front step in the house across from his, and he would never tell anyone that seeing them kiss was the reason he didn't leave his room for two days. He brushed it off saying he hadn't felt good when Beth came over to check on him, he just told her to get away before he could get her sick. Trevor was good for her though, he was young and didn't have enough emotional baggage to drown a person like he did. He was good for Beth, much better for her than he was. So he listened to her gush about how much she liked him and how he said he was going to go on a run to get her a necklace for her twentieth birthday, which was coming up soon. Even though it damn near broke his heart to hear her go on about being with a man that wasn't him, he listened and kept his thoughts to himself, because she was happy and that's all he ever wanted for her.

Sometimes it was difficult, sometimes he wanted to grab her by her arms and shake her, yelling at her that he loved her and it was killing him to see her with someone else. He wanted to ask her if the kiss they had shared in the woods a few weeks before they got to the safe zone meant anything to her, if all the gentle touches and hushed conversations were just a game. He never did though, because they were friends, best friends that did stuff like that.

The night she showed up at his house, barging into his room into his room sobbing her eyes out over Trevor, Daryl saw red. She collapsed on top of him, not phased at all that he was only wearing boxers, and clutched onto his shoulders.

"What happened sweetheart?" He asked softly, sitting up so he could hold her in his lap. She shook her head and coughed loudly, something he learned that she did when she cried too hard. He waited patiently until her sobs turned to sniffles before asking her again.

"T-Trevor was hooking up w-with other girls b-because I wouldn't p-put out." She stuttered, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "He was j-just using m-me."

If she hadn't been sitting in his lap in the middle of the night having an emotional breakdown, Daryl would have been halfway to the asshole's house by now, ready to beat the lights out of him for hurting her, then once he was dead he would wait until her reanimated to kill him a second time. Instead, he just held Beth tighter and rubbed her back slowly.

"He's an asshat, don't deserve you anyways. You can do better than some stupid kid." He assured her. Beth chuckled and nodded slowly, running her hands over his shoulders and back.

"Yeah, I need a man." She chuckled, her hand dropping to his bicep. "A big, strong, redneck man that'll protect me and get me moonshine when I want a drink." Daryl's heart pounded against his chest at her words and he pulled away from her, looking into her big blue eyes that shined even brighter from the moonlight.

"Beth-" He started, only for her to press a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"I need a man that'll take care of me and teach me how to hunt and survive and run all night chasing a car when I get abducted." She said, sucking in a deep breath before continuing. "I need a man that's gonna love me, and that's you."

They stayed silent for a while, letting her words sink in. Eventually, because he knew words wouldn't cut it, Daryl leaned in and kissed her gently. When she pulled away she rested her forehead against his, smiling gently.

"I love you Daryl, and I'm sick of being your friend." She giggled, a sound Daryl knew would probably have annoyed him before the turn, but now it was like music to him. He chuckled back, nodding in agreement.

"Me too, I hate being just friends." He said. "And I love you too."

_Oh, my friends will never love me like you._


	2. Movie Night

**A/N: Random one shot written from a prompt Mary (no-place-like-it) and Ashley (akiraflame) gave me forever ago that I never got around to finishing until now. Basically Beth forces Daryl to watch Mean Girls. (Sorry its short and not very detailed, I've never watched the movie through completely and honestly I don't really like it) anyways, I hope y'all like it! p.s. instead of creating a new "fic" for each one-shot I write I'm just going to throw them all into the one "Friends" was originally in. None of them are related, its just to make my life easier, hope that makes sense to everyone.**

Daryl was a stubborn ass, anybody would tell you so if you asked. He would speak his mind without a single regret and then shove his middle finger in the face of whoever tried to persuade him into doing something he didn't want to. Despite all that, he could not say no to Beth Greene. She was his weakness, his kryptonite, it was impossible to turn down anything she asked for when she blinked her wide blue eyes up at him. She knew what she was doing too, she knew that he was all but putty in her hands and she took advantage of it often. She was just as stubborn as him, if not more, and after almost two years of dating he had learned not to argue with her.

He knew the second that she slid the dvd case across the kitchen counter while she made dinner for them that she had decided what movie they were going to watch, and even though it looked ridiculous, he knew there was no changing her mind.

"Aw come on Beth, not another stupid chick flick." He begged as she loaded two plates up with enough spaghetti to feed a small army.

"Nuh uh, you chose last time. It's my turn to pick, you know the rules." She said, turning on her heel and taking their plates into the living room while he dug through the shelves in search of a bottle of wine. He wasn't much of a wine person, but he knew Beth liked it so he dealt with it for her.

"Hurry up Daryl, you're going to miss this cinematic masterpiece." Beth joked as he jumped over the back of the couch, something he knew she hated. When he settled down beside her she was glaring at him, shooting him daggers that at one point scared the shit out of him, but now he thought was cute. She rolled her eyes at him before setting his plate in his lap and picking up the remote to start the movie while he poured them wine.

Ten minutes into the movie, Daryl decided that he would rather have needles shoved into his eyes than watch another second of it. Beth obviously had a different opinion, laughing and quoting it almost word for word.

"This is stupid." Daryl stated. "Who the hell names their kid Cady, what kinda name is that?"

"It's pronounced Katie, now shut up and stop whining." Beth quipped, her mouth full of spaghetti. He sighed, setting his empty plate on the coffee table and refilling his glass, knowing he would need the alcohol to get through the movie.

"Can you tell the weather with your boobs?" He asked after the scene, earning a shove from Beth.

"No Daryl, I can't." She chuckled. He smirked and shifted closer to her, setting one arm over her shoulder while running the other up her stomach.

"Why don't I give 'em a feel, see if I can't tell," He joked. Beth slapped his hand away and rolled her eyes at him for what felt like the millionth time that night.

"Nice try. Now shut up." She shot him down, not even moving her eyes from the screen. Daryl groaned in frustration and slumped down on the couch. If it had been his choice they would have been watching the scariest, goriest movie they had at Blockbuster's, one that would have Beth screaming and curled up into his side in fear. He couldn't help but smirk to himself, that sounded good to him.

By the end of the movie, Daryl was just buzzed enough to laugh at every joke, even though he didn't even find them funny. Beth had long since gotten tired of his chuckling, slapping his chest every so often to get him to stop. It only worked for a few minutes before he would start up again, almost giggling at the stupidest of comments.

"Daryl," She whined once the ending credits rolled, letting her head drop back to rest of the couch cushions. "You do this every time I pick a movie for us."

"Maybe when you pick a decent movie I won't have to get lit to enjoy it." He chuckled, standing up from the couch and swaying slightly. Beth rolled her eyes, standing up to follow him down the hallway to their room. He might have been laughing them, but he surely wasn't the next day when she forced him to watch it again, completely sober.


End file.
